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U.N. panel says Vatican lax over abusive priests

By Nick Cumming-Bruce and Laurie GoodsteinNew York Times

Posted:
05/23/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
05/23/2014 10:43:13 PM CDT

GENEVA -- The Vatican on Friday faced criticism from a U.N. panel for the second time this year over failures to report priests accused of sexually abusing children to civil authorities or to ensure redress for victims.

The panel, which is monitoring the Holy See's compliance with an international treaty prohibiting torture, called on the Vatican to "take effective measures" to monitor the behavior of individuals under its control and prevent abuse.

In a statement, the Holy See said the Committee Against Torture had not found it in violation of the treaty, which prohibits torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Panel members bluntly contradicted that assertion. The committee makes recommendations when it sees states that are not living up to the requirements of the convention, and had issued eight pages of recommendations to the Holy See over what it said were its failures in preventing abuse, investigating accusations and compensating victims, Felice Gaer, the committee's vice chairwoman said in Geneva.

"You have the answer in front of you," she said.

The 10-member committee welcomed guidelines issued by the Vatican's disciplinary body instructing church authorities to cooperate with civil authorities but expressed concern that they continued to "resist the principle of mandatory reporting.

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" The committee cited the case of Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the papal envoy to Australia who invoked diplomatic immunity last year in refusing to provide documents that could assist a commission of inquiry into sex abuse.

The committee rejected the Holy See's core defense, that it has jurisdiction only over priests and personnel inside its walls in Rome.

The Vatican faced many of the same criticisms this year when it appeared before another U.N. panel monitoring its compliance with the international convention on children's rights.

The committee on torture Friday noted a number of recent reforms introduced by the Vatican, including Pope Francis' creation of a Commission for the Protection of Minors in December and the 2011 guidelines instructing church authorities to report allegations of clerical sexual abuse to civil authorities where required by law.

But the committee expressed concern over numerous reports that church authorities had transferred priests accused of abuse to other dioceses, helping them to escape investigation and prosecution, allowing them to remain in contact with children and, in some cases, leading to further abuse.

The committee recommended that the Holy See set up an independent complaints mechanism ensuring confidentiality for victims of abuse that is empowered to cooperate with civil authorities where the abuse occurred.

The Holy See, in its response to the panel's observations, said charges related to moving clergy members to evade discipline and failures to provide compensation were "part of the past." It said that it "takes note and will give serious consideration to the recommendations made."